Vellore doctor quits service, says he was hounded by group

After the establishment of the department in 2010, he performed over 7,000 successful cataract (SICS and PHACO) surgeries, glaucoma surgeries, autograft and oculoplastic surgeries.Vellore: Dr Sathiaraj Nesan, 44, who was honoured as the best government doctor in Vellore five times for his service, has tendered his resignation stating that he was targeted by people with vested interest. In his service, he outperformed doctors in the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital and other government hospitals in the district.

Dr Nesan joined the Government Hospital (GH) in Vaniyambadi on August 20, 2007 after clearing the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission exam. The state had allocated Rs 1 crore to establish an exclusive unit for the Ophthalmology department in the GH on seeing his performance. After the establishment of the department in 2010, he performed over 7,000 successful cataract (SICS and PHACO) surgeries, glaucoma surgeries, autograft and oculoplastic surgeries.

It was an incident on August 29 that pushed Dr Nesan to tender his resignation. At 6.30pm on that day, he was attending a heart patient, when a boy aged about 20 approached him and said he had fever and cold. “I asked the boy to go to the staff nurse. The boy’s father questioned me why I did not check his son. Though I explained him that the boy had seasonal flu, he was not in a mood to listen,” Dr Nesan, told TOI, who had served for five years in a charitable hospital near Tirupattur before joining the Vaniyambadi GH.

Within a few minutes, a group of 10-15 men barged into the doctor’s duty room. “They took movie CDs that I had in my bag and spread it on my table. They questioned and harassed me that I was watching movies during duty. I explained them that I watch movies only when I am free, but they built a case against me to shame me and it was flashed on TV channels. It humiliated me and also put my family in an unwanted situation,” said Dr Nesan who performed 99 surgeries out of the 167 that were done in the GH in August.

After attending his duty on August 31, Dr Nesan offered his resignation letter. “I strongly doubt that it was not an instant reaction of the public. It was a planned one against me,” he said. “I do not feel safe to continue my service in Vaniyambadi GH after the incident. Hence, I submitted my resignation letter to the medical officer (Dr Usha Gnanasekaran) on September 1. Though they did not accept my letter, I am not ready to go there,” said Dr Nesan, an alumnus of JIPMER.

Senior officials in the health department said Dr Nesan has set a bench mark for his peers. In fact, “He did not turn up for duty since the incident. It is bad to lose good doctors due to bad incidents. We have also received a petition from the public demanding to bring him back to the GH,” said Joint Director of MRHS Dr A Shanthi.

Meanwhile, members of Sammam Kudimakkal Iyakkam along with CPI and farmers’ associations staged a protest near Vaniyambadi bus stand demanding action against the people who forced Dr Nesan to resign, and ensure a safe environment for doctors to continue their service.